A gas turbine engine generally includes a fan and a core arranged in flow communication with one another. Additionally, the core of the gas turbine engine general includes, in serial flow order, a compressor section, a combustion section, a turbine section, and an exhaust section. In operation, air is provided from the fan to an inlet of the compressor section where one or more axial compressors progressively compress the air until it reaches the combustion section. Fuel is mixed with the compressed air and burned within the combustion section to provide combustion gases. The combustion gases are routed from the combustion section to the turbine section. The flow of combustion gasses through the turbine section drives the turbine section and is then routed through the exhaust section, e.g., to atmosphere.
More commonly, non-traditional high temperature materials, such as ceramic matrix composite (CMC) materials, are being used as structural components within gas turbine engines. For example, given an ability for CMC materials to withstand relatively extreme temperatures, there is particular interest in replacing components within the combustion section of the gas turbine engine with CMC materials. More particularly, an inner liner and an outer liner of gas turbine engines are more commonly being formed of CMC materials.
However, certain gas turbine engines have had problems accommodating certain mechanical properties of the CMC materials incorporated therein. For example, CMC materials have different coefficients of thermal expansion than the traditional metal materials. Such differing mechanical properties can make it difficult to attach the outer liner to an outer metallic dome and the inner liner to an inner metallic dome. Attachment mechanisms have been provided that allow for some radial movement of the outer liner relative to the outer metallic dome and the inner liner relative to the inner metallic dome. However, such attachment mechanisms can prematurely wear one or both of the components and/or place and undesirably high amount of stress on one or both of the components.
Accordingly, an attachment mechanism for mounting an outer liner to an outer dome and/or an inner liner to an inner dome without prematurely wearing one or more of such components would be useful. Further, an attachment mechanism for mounting an outer liner to an outer dome and/or an inner liner to an inner dome without placing and undesirably high amount of stress on one or more of the components would be particularly beneficial.